The field of the disclosure relates generally to couplings made between two or more mechanical components, and more specifically, to methods and systems for in-process quality control during drill-fill assembly.
In the most relevant example, aerospace structure assembly generally requires multiple “touch” processes to complete installation of fasteners and acquire quality assurance acceptance. These multiple processes require significant flow time and therefore are subject to large labor costs. In addition, the staging of such an assembly process usually results in a significant amount of work in process as an assembly line generally incorporates only one process at a location. Further, and as understood by contemplation of the below mentioned process, assembly mechanics in the labor force may be exposed to repetitive motion injuries.
For example and to illustrate, fabrication of a typical aerospace assembly includes a first process to locate and drill the hole, a second process to complete a countersink associated with the drilled hole, a third process to inspect the hole and countersink, a fourth process to install the fastener and a fifth to inspect and accept the installation. Thousands upon thousands of such fastener installations are used in a typical airframe. Added to the above, after the drilling and countersinking steps are completed, an assembly may be disassembled for removal of burrs associated with the drilling of the holes. As such the assembly must be reassembled so that the fasteners may be installed. In summary, usual assembly requires temporary assembly, drilling, disassembly, reassembly and multiple inspection processes along the way.
There are efforts underway that address the disassembly of structures for the deburring of holes, for example, the use of interference fit fasteners that counteract the effects burrs have on the integrity of a structure. However, installation of fasteners, including blind-side fasteners and one-side fasteners common to aerospace structure fabrication are still subject to manual inspection and validation by quality assurance personnel. Required access to such assemblies for inspection slows the fabrication process.